Since late April, there have been at least 80 incidents of cars being shot at while traveling on Southern California freeways (California Highway Patrol). 

According to ABC7 News, “A large majority of them have happened along the 91 Freeway, spanning from east of the 15 Freeway and all the way out toward the 605 Freeway.” There have been no injuries so far, but authorities are still unsure as to who is committing these crimes and there remains no solid lead. 

On March 20, there were at least eight more freeway shootings reported, with one taking place on the 91 Freeway near Green River Road in Corona. The SUV driver was on her way to work when she heard an explosion sound, only to find out that the back window of her vehicle was shot at, leaving it shattered.

 She told ABC7 News that she, “didn’t know what was going on. First, [she] heard like it was on top of [her] car… on the roof, but then [she] checked [her] rear view window and [she] saw [her] back window shattered. Right away, [she] just called 911. [she didn’t] know what it was, [she] didn’t see anything around [her].”

She also told authorities that she did not get a look at the suspect, as there was a lot of traffic and other drivers were driving normally as nothing had happened (ABC7 News).

In a similar case, the driver of a Cadillac Escalade was also fired at near Corona on that same morning as the SUV driver. He waited until he reached Anaheim to report the incident to the authorities. 

The CHP stresses the importance of reporting information as quickly as possible in this case, as time is of the essence. 

Officer Florentino Olivera explained that “What’s happening is people continue driving. By the time they come to a stop, say five or 10 miles away, they’ll call 911…we don’t even have the exact location anymore. We have an approximate location, but it helps if someone were to pull over immediately” (ABC7 News).

He also added that cars with a Bluetooth feature should utilize that to report incidents immediately after they happen so it is easier to identify the perpetrator (ABC7 News).

Since Yorba Linda High School students and staff often frequent these freeways that are being targeted, the danger of these crimes is directly affecting attendees. Patrick Song (12) explained that he has “been avoiding freeways as much as [he] can.”

As of right now, there are still no leads, but if involved in one of these freeway shootings, remember to report it shortly after, as long as it is safe.